First out of the staring blocks is 70's disco queen Sheila. Sheila, "the ordinary girl next-door" who started out selling sweets at the local shop, rocketed to fame in 1963 with her top-selling single "l'Ecole est finie". Sheila soon went on to become the darling of the Yéyé (French rock'n'roll) movement. Then in the 70's she re-invented herself as the Queen of the disco dancefloor. Sheila's popularity continued to grow and, in the course of her extremely successful career, she managed to sell well over 65 million albums. However, in the 80's Sheila's popularity began to wane and the singer's simple melodies and repetitive lyrics fell out of favour. In 1990 the disco diva performed a farewell concert and quit the French music scene altogether.

But now thanks to a new album - "Le meilleur de Sheila" (released on the Arcade label) - Sheila is making a serious comeback bid. "Le meilleur de Sheila" is not a straightforward Greatest Hits album. Sheila's old chart successes have been masterfully remixed to give them a modern touch. Only two of the tracks on the singer's new album have escaped the 90's remix treatment - "Juste comme ça" and "Vague à l'âme". These songs, written by Sheila's partner Yves Martin, find the singer experimenting with brand new material. Perhaps the 70's diva is contemplating beginning work on an album of entirely new songs in the near future ?

Barrière

Meanwhile another French 60's star, Alain Barrière, is also gearing up for a full-blown comeback. The popular Breton singer shot to fame in 1964 with "Ma vie", but after this first smash hit Barrière's career was filled with an unpredictable series of ups and downs. Barrière did score a number of memorable hits in the course of his career, however, and most of them are featured on the singer's new Greatest Hits album. "30 années en chansons", released on the Arcade label, includes all of Barrière's classics, from "Elle était si jolie" to the legendary "Tu t'en vas". But the major event of Barrière's recent career is not the re-release of his old hits, but the appearance of a brand new album "Barrière 97" (released on Julisa/Arcade). French music fans should be reassured, however, the album's title does not imply that Alain Barrière has suddenly come over all drum'n'bass! On the contrary, judging by the album's sentimental, melancholy-tinged ballads (such as "Me pardonner" and "Aime-moi"), Barrière's style remains remarkably unchanged. Barrière fans will be delighted to discover that their idol's new album is accompanied by a minor comeback tour. Yes, Barrière is playing a handful of dates in France (including two concerts in Paris at the prestigious Salle Pleyel!) Who knows perhaps a major comeback tour could be on the cards before the end of the year?

Adamo

And talking of major comebacks, rumour has it that Salvatore Adamo - the Sicilian/ Belgian star who rocketed to international fame in the 60's with romantic ballads such as "Vous permettez Monsieur" and "les Filles du bord de mer" - is also about to re-surface on the music scene. Yes, Adamo is currently in the studio putting the finishing touches to his new album "Regards", which is due to be released on Odéon/EMI on March 25th.

Well, it looks like we'll all be taking a trip down memory lane by the end of the spring! The only thing which remains to be seen is just how successful these revamps will be. Will Sheila rocket back to the top of the charts with her Greatest Hits? How many albums will Adamo sell? And just how many fans will be queuing up to buy tickets for Barrière's comeback concerts? In a way, it doesn't really matter! Sheila, Adamo and Barrière have become an integral part of our collective consciousness and, whether we like it or not, their Greatest Hits continue to exert a nostalgic pull on even the most hardened music fans.

So, let's hear it from you music surfers around the world. Which French stars of yesteryear are still going strong in your country? Which legendary Blasts from the Past have marked your own teenage years? E-mail us with tales of your own French Golden Oldies - and we'll include them in our Music News!